Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev met with rectors of leading universities and heads of scientific institutes of the Federal Republic of Germany during his official visit to the country, infohub.kz reports.
The head of state put forward an initiative to launch a special education exchange program aimed at strengthening academic ties between the two countries.
"Today, 45 Kazakh universities cooperate with around 100 German partners. About 2,000 students from Kazakhstan study in Germany. Currently, more than 30 branches and partner offices of foreign universities operate in Kazakhstan. These figures speak for themselves. But at the same time, they do not reflect the full depth of the partnership. What matters is what we create together. Here I mean a fundamental change in the nature of our cooperation," the president said.
Toqaev emphasized that Kazakhstan is transforming the traditional model of education: instead of sending young people abroad en masse, the republic is bringing the standards of leading international universities into the country, aiming to increase the number of foreign students to 100,000 by 2029.
In addition, the Kazakh leader outlined three key areas for deepening the partnership.
The first is academic exchange and diplomas: expanding joint educational programs and dual-degree programs, as well as creating conditions for students and researchers to work together.
The second is linking science and industry: moving from a raw-materials model to high technology. An example is the TiBeRIUM project (development of low-carbon chains for titanium and beryllium) involving EKTU, the Ulba Metallurgical Plant and the Freiberg Mining Academy.
The third is technology transfer: Toqaev called on German businesses to open engineering laboratories and technology transfer centers at joint institutions, promising state co-financing.
According to him, Kazakhstan is increasing spending on scientific research to 1 percent of GDP while creating incentives for companies to invest in university research.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Kazakh President Qasym-Jomart Toqaev, during a media briefing in Germany, commented on his statement made in Omsk about the need to freeze the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.